Where Do You Keep Your Cell Phone? Do You Think It's Safe?

Keeping your phone in these places may not be good for your health!

Are you making a wise decision by keeping your phone in every possible place?

HIGHLIGHTS

Keeping phones for long in the front pocket can harm male fertility

Keeping the phone in the bra could affect the risk of breast cancer

Phone radiations emitted at night could increase risk of brain cancer

Your cell phone is probably your fifth limb; something that you feel you simply can't function without. The absence of the cell phone could make you feel incomplete, which is why you try to accommodate it in every possible place. But how safe is that? Are you making a wise decision by keeping your phone in every possible place? Turns out, you're not! Even if you thought that keeping it safely in your front pocket is fine, trust us, it's not.

But there are some places where you store your cell phone which can be very dangerous for your health. Here's a list of the worst places to keep your cell phone which can be particularly dangerous for your health.

I can't find a place to keep my phone while it's charging? Well, I'll just keep it over the charger. Now that's something which we all do very often. But it is not a safe practice. Besides this, keeping the phone on charge overnight is not good for the phone either. It makes the battery weak over time and reduces its efficiency.

Photo Credit: iStock

2. Under the pillow

Keeping your phone under the pillow is not good for you. This is because notifications come and the screen light turns on. This affects the production of melatonin which interferes with your sleep patterns.

3. Back pocket

We agree that keeping the cell phone in the back pocket is quite comfy. But it's not good for a number of reasons. Firstly, you may experience pain in your stomach and legs due to the harmful radiations of the phone. Secondly, this way you may break or lose it easily.

4. Front pocket

Women carry bags, men usually don't. This is why men usually store cell phones in their front pocket. Safe and convenient, isn't it? Well it's not. It is convenient, but it is not safe. Studies show that keeping phones for prolonged hours in the front pocket can harm male fertility and adversely affect sperm quality.

5. Close to the head while sleeping

Recent research shows how harmful it can be for you to keep your phone close to your head while sleeping. The cell phone radiations emitted late at night could increase your risk of brain cancer. You can reduce your risk by keeping your phone away from your head or by using wireless headsets at night.

We spoke to Dr Suresh H Advani, a consultant Medical Oncologist. He says, "Cell phone radiations are quite minor. They hardly reach the skin from your pocket. There is enough data that states that the effect is almost negligible. These statements are simply anecdotes as there is no evidence whatsoever to state them true. Medically there is a big study which shows very mild or zero impact of cell phone radiations on your body."

Nevertheless, there are various ongoing studies on the effects of cell phone radiation and since there is no conclusive evidence, let's be safe than being sorry.

Photo Credit: iStock

(Dr Suresh H Advani is a Consultant Medical Oncologist)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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